New York Knicks blown out by Milwaukee Bucks in Christmas Day meeting

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, top, tries to dunk over New York Knicks' Enes Kanter during the first half of the NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2018, in New York.(Photo: Seth Wenig/AP Photo)

NEW YORK — Mario Hezonja didn't have to worry about suffering any sort of revenge from Giannis Antetokounmpo.

That's because Hezonja was safely on the Knicks' bench for their Christmas Day meeting against the Milwaukee Bucks.

More surprisingly, so was Frank Ntilikina.

It was a rough holiday all around for the Knicks as they fell to the Bucks, 109-95, at Madison Square Garden Tuesday in a nationally televised contest.

Neither team shot particularly well, especially early. But Milwaukee started making shots in the second half, turning the game into a blowout in the third quarter.

The Bucks began the second half up two points before outscoring the Knicks, 36-22, in the third to take a 16-point lead.

Third quarters have been a problem for the Knicks lately.

"I don’t know what it is," coach David Fizdale said. "I know we turned the ball over a lot in that quarter, which ends up putting so much pressure on defense. We’re just not good enough to do that. We’ve just got to figure it out. But that’s our quarter."

New York Knicks' Kevin Knox, left, drives to the basket past Milwaukee Bucks' Brook Lopez during the first half of the NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2018, in New York.(Photo: Seth Wenig/AP Photo)

The Knicks, who have now lost five straight games, shot just 35.8 percent from the field, including a paltry 28.6 percent from the perimeter.

When these teams played on Dec. 1, Hezonja dunked while a trailing Antetokounmpo tried to block him from behind before falling to the court. Hezonja stared at him, then stepped over him to go back on defense.

After the eventual overtime win for the Knicks, Antetokounmpo made it clear he wasn't thrilled with Hezonja's move.

"I'm going to punch him in his nut next time," Antetokounmpo told reporters in the Bucks' locker room.

He never got the chance to exact any sort of revenge Tuesday.

But Antetokounmpo did plenty of damage against the Knicks anyway, finishing with 30 points, 14 rebounds and four steals.

Noah Vonleh again drew the task of having to guard Antetokounmpo, and again at least made things difficult for the "Greek Freak."

"I felt like I made it pretty tough," Vonleh said. "I don’t how much he finished with. But I felt like whenever I was on him, just trying to deny him, make him get out of position and try to make him finish through contact."

Kevin Knox led the Knicks with 21 points.

Frank Ntilikina sits

After struggling offensively for his previous five games, Ntilikina found himself out of the Knicks' rotation Christmas Day.

After being given three straight "DNPs" earlier this month, Ntilikina played well in the next three games. He showed more aggressiveness offensively and scored 18 points against the Hornets and 16 against the Cavaliers.

It appeared he was beginning to turn a corner.

Then Ntilikina went right back to his old habits of being too tentative. In five games, the 19-year-old averaged just 3.6 points while shooting 21.4 percent from the field.

So he found himself benched again Tuesday.

Fizdale brought Trey Burke off the bench after sitting Burke for two games. Burke had just two points on 1-of-7 shooting Tuesday.

"Frank has been struggling," Fizdale said. "Trey’s back. Let’s look at it. That’s kind of what I’ve been doing with these guys. When one guy hits a certain amount of games where he’s struggled, next guy up. Let’s give him a look. Like normal, it’ll never be a permanent thing."

How to correct Ntilikina's hesitancy on offense remains the Knicks' biggest quandary. Ntilikina at times shows signs of progress, but hasn't been able to sustain it.

"Frank is very important to us and we’ve just got to find a way to get that confidence back," Fizdale said.

Allonzo Trier returns

Trier played Tuesday after missing seven games with a strained hamstring. The rookie guard finished with eight points on 4-of-10 shooting in 17 minutes.

"I felt good," Trier said. "Obviously I’m not back to my full self yet. I gotta get into game shape, get some game feel. But it was good to run up and down and join the game with my teammates again."